The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-10-27
TRACING OUT TESTIMONY
The Circumstantial Incidents that Place
Three Men Under Suspicion.
What Witnesses Before the Coroner on the
DeBurger Murder Inquest Have to Tell in
Regard to the Suspected Persons.

tooy on suspicion or being the murdererS OF
George DE Burger, the crime is not fastened
upon them by any means. and perhaps many
people cognizant with all the incidents and de-
tails OF the tragedy believe they are innocent as
there are those who believe they are guilty.
Even some of the officers who made the arrests
feel confident that the right parties have not
been secured. and that valuable time has been
lost in following up a misleading clew. How
ever, there is some evidence against the three
men. and the very bad reputation that at least
two Of them have borne for months is against
them. All admit having been out until after L
o'clock on the night the crime was committed.
and their own testimony concerning their move
ments is conflicting The fore part of
the night was passed in Kinanders
saloon South West street, but
far there has been no agreement upon the
time they left there. The preliminary examina-
ton will begin before the Mayor this morning at
8 o'clock. The officers who have been working
up the case expect to introduce testimony show
ing that the three men South Del
aware street short time before the crime was
committed. Other persons have been sum-
moned who claim to have heard Haley make re-
marks Sunday and Monday that indicated that
he, at least knew something about the crime
One man will testify that HALEY was heard to
say that he didn't intend to kill the man,
but only wanted to hurt him." The men expect
to secure their release by proving an aiibi and
have engaged Duncan, Smith 81 Wilson to de-
fend them. They will endeavor to prove that
they were in Kinanders saloon on South West
street at the time the murder was committed.
and several young men. their associates. will
bear them out in the statement. The saloon
keeper and his wife are also pretty positive that
the three men did not leave the saloon until
nearly IL o'clock However the several young
who the Dlac0 during the
do not tell the same story, and this fact leads
the officers to believe that the alibi has been
patched up for the occasion. The most impor-
tant witness in the is Mrs. n. j. Houk, living
at No. 305 South Pennsylvania street. It was
upon her statement that tho officers decided to
make the arrest Tuesday night. Her husband
is foreman of the wheelyvorks. and she is a
very wide-awake, intelligent woman. Her
story is that shortly after 10 o'clock, Saturday
evening. she and her daughter returned from
an errand which took them over on Delaware
street They passed in through the rear gate
Mrs. Houck heard loud and profane
railroad tracks just in the rear of the honse ono
of the voices sounded ike that of an Irish
man, and was badly broken. The CONVEX sation
seemed to be- with reference to doing some one
up." 1.-THE -. we will show him. one OF the
men said, when second person spoke up in q
tone ct rs,m RENE You VIII do no such
her statement. "aud went TO the sitting-r room
Presently. Mr.. Houk. who had been attending a
lodge meeting. came in 1t was then shortly be-
fore IL o'clock. I noticed Ilaughingl, because I
wanted to see what time he was getting in. The
clock was little fast He came in the back
way and around the side OF the house l had
front door to sweep out some rawlings and bits
of cloth which had fallen as bad
sewed. swept off tho boards
the gate. but heard some men running
down Merrill toward the west They were run
ming hard. and attracted my attention. There
were three of them. They we're not together.
w..
Houk. who is slightly deaf. Come this way
meaning for him to come to the front door l
called once or twice. and one OF the men
little man-attracted by my words,
the northwest corner of Merrill and
Pennsylvania. The distance short
aud / him distinctly for several seconds.
He seemed not to know what to do. He b ad on
short coat buttoned up tightly and carried
something in his hand. He looked directly at
me. Oae of the other mon tall and wore
cap pulled down low on his head. did not see
the other man quite SO plainly. One of them
wore stiff hat Thew ran off toward the west"
This the substance of Mrs. Houk's testi
mony before the coroner last evening. Early
yesterday morning Bresnan and Haley were
taken before her for Identification, and she at
once pointed out Bresnan as the man who stood
under the eas-lisbt and who wore a brown sack
coat and SLOUGH hat turned ND in front. She
said the coat he wore was not the one he had on
the night she saw him. Superintendent Travis
sent an officer to Bresnan's home and coat was
found which Mrs Houk identified as the one
worn by the man she After the lady had
given her testimony the man was again brought
before her. and she said. eff he is not the man
saw he is his ghost" Mr. Houk and one of his
sons corroborated the testimony of Mrs. Houk
in all the material points.
The coroner took good deal of testimony,
much of it of no material importance. Patrol
men Clifford and Reed testified that they saw
Haley and Henry Mclaughlin on Illinois street
betweenl Market and Washington. Saturday night
between IL and o'clock. They first saw them
going south. land then sawl them come north
and go into Henry Smiths restaurant Patrol
man Gribben testified that on Saturday night he
left Washington street little after o'clock.
and walked down West street to Kinanders sa-
loon. He stopped q couple of times on the road
and probably reached the saloon little before
10 o'clock. In the saloon he saw Haley. Bres-
nan and Morris Lucid playing pool. He re-
NAMED in the saloon but a few minutes and then
won't away and did not return. Henry McLaugh-
lin. an employe in the water-works, denied hav-
ing been with Haley on Saturday night. He
said he did not go with him to Henry Smiths
restaurant He also denies being in Kinander's
saloon that evening. but in Watsons
place on West street a short time.
William Bresnau. brother of the accused,
said that last Saturday evening he left his home
at 7:45 o'clock. and walked straight 20 Kinand-
er's saloon. He did not meet anybody on the
way. but IN the saloon he saw George Post,
James Haley came into the saloon about
o'clock. About the time Haley came in the wit
ness went ND town with Post and Martz. and
did not return until about IL o'clock. Haley
still in the saloon when he went back
Haley left the saloon at 10:45 and came back in
five minutes. The saloon was closed at 1870
and he left Haley. but met him again on Illinois
street Near Il o'clock Jack Andrews told
them that DeBurger had been hurt. and after
that they went up to Smiths restaurant. They
did not reach home until about 3 o'clock
Bryant Bresnan. he positive. not in
KInanders saloon Saturday evening
Thomas Pearcy was in Kinander's place Sat
nrday night. and Bryant Bresnan
there with Haley Jerry Callahan was also
there, and testifes that Bryant Bresnan was in
the saloon with Haley. and that the two did not
leave until 1910 o'clock. Morris Lucid, who
also present, and Haley went up town after IL
o'clock. Charles klnander, the proprietor of
the saloon, said that Haley, Bresnan and Lucid
were in his place all evening. and did not leave
until early IL o'clock
Lucid released from custody yesterday
morning, and there is a rumor that he proposes
to tell all he knows about the affair when the
proper time cones However, the officers deny
this, and say he is under surveillance and can be